West Bromwich Albion won the EFL Championship in 2007/08 under Tony Mowbray, securing a spot in the Premier League the following season alongside Stoke City and play-off winners Hull City.

Following this, the Baggies sought to reestablish their standing as a top-flight team, signing Jonas Olsson, Scott Carson, Graham Dorrans, and Youssouf Mulumbu to join Kevin Phillips, Chris Brunt, and Zoltan Gera.

On the surface, West Brom had recruited smartly and appeared to be the strongest of their fellow promotion competitors in order to maintain their spot in English football’s top tier, but what happened will leave Baggies fans with unpleasant memories.

After losing their first two league games away to Arsenal and at home to Everton, Mowbray decided the club needed to invest more in the squad if they were to have a chance of staying up, so they broke their transfer record to bring in an attacking midfielder who they hoped would help them break down defences.

Instead, their impact was negligible, and his entire stay at The Hawthorns was unremarkable.

West Brom bought Borja Valero from Mallorca for a then-club-record price to improve their survival chances.

Borja Valero, a Spanish attacking midfielder, became the Baggies’ most expensive signing of all time when he moved from Mallorca to the Black Country for £4.7 million in the summer of 2008, signing a four-year contract at The Hawthorns with the expectation that he would be able to carry them to safety.

His arrival cost more than West Brom paid Cardiff City for Robert Earnshaw in 2004, and Mowbray stated, “I don’t think he will have any problems settling into our team, or playing in the Premier League, although he will obviously need some time to adjust to the English game.”

Valero was thrust straight into the starting XI for the Baggies’ trip to Bolton Wanderers, where he was replaced just before the hour mark in a 0-0 draw, but he followed that up by assisting James Morrison’s opening goal in their 3-2 home win over West Ham in their next fixture.

That would be about as good as it got for Valero for a while, as he showed glimpses of his quality but made few direct goal contributions, going the next 20 league games without scoring or assisting as West Brom went on a ten-game winless streak, which ended only when Valero was removed from the squad for their 2-1 home win against Manchester City.

Valero, a Real Madrid academy product, played in a variety of midfield positions under Mowbray, never settling into a specific role as he battled to adjust to English football.

The Spaniard would only appear once more in West Brom colours, in a 3-1 home victory over Wigan Athletic in the final stages of the season, with the Baggies fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table.

Unfortunately for them and Valero, his addition did little to help them retain their Premier League status, as West Brom finished dead last in the Premier League and were immediately relegated back to the Championship, whereas their promotion rivals, Hull and Stoke, both remained in the top flight for another year.

In terms of record signings, Valero’s three assists and zero goals fell far short of expectations after moving to the Midlands, with his lack of output being a major cause for the Baggies finishing three points behind safety.

At one point, it appeared that Valero would stay with the club following their relegation, saying, “I still have a three-year contract here and would like to keep it.” “Playing in the second tier is definitely not ideal. But if I have to put up with it, then I will.

However, his commitment would wane fast, as Valero stated just a month or so later, “I would rather play in Mallorca than in the second tier in England. This is clear. I am open to a loan return, but it requires an agreement between the teams.”

A loan move back to Mallorca was approved shortly after, bringing his time with the Baggies to a dismal end, with the Spaniard never justifying his club-record cost.

Borja Valero built a good career after his West Brom leave.

Following his departure from the Hawthorns, Valero spent two seasons on loan in his native Spain, first with Mallorca and then with Villarreal, before joining the Yellow Submarine permanently in 2011.

His professional career came to an end after spells in Italy with Fiorentina and Inter, with over 400 combined appearances in the Spanish and Italian top flight, as well as over 100 goal contributions.

However, Valero never demonstrated his full potential during his time with West Brom, and if they had stayed up and he had stayed longer, The Hawthorns might have seen the quality he possessed.

West Brom have, of course, smashed their transfer record since then, but Valero arrived with high expectations but produced low results, as this deal failed for the Baggies.